Call me by my name
by a sunflowers comfort
Summary: Arnold and Helga are teenagers. But Helga can't seem to call Arnold by his name.
1. learn how to walk football head

Call me by my name.  
Today was a really bad day for Helga.  
Which means it was an even worse day for Arnold. He could sense the mood of his day the moment he bumped into her on his way to school. Usually, she'd get ticked, he'd apologize, she'd refuse his offer to help her up and then maybe give him a scowl or two. But today, helga's dad Bob challenged her to a screaming match about how she could never live up to Olga's achievements. All the while Miriam had torn apart helga's liquid reaction science project mistaking the test bottles for alcohol.

So when she bumped into the angel standing before her, an impulse of anger had been unleashed. "Sorry Helga" Arnold apologized as he awaited the usual barrage of insults. But Helga instantly shot up and beamed towards his personal bubble. Arnold could barley process what was happening until he felt the collar of his shirt yanked by the hand of his tormentor.  
He blinked. "7 years. We've been bumping into each other for 7 years. Learn how to walk football head!" Her tone of voice had sent shivers down Arnold's body. He didn't know what to say or if he should say anything at all. But all he knew was that he was one grain of sand away from getting his face pounded. Helga mentally scolded herself as she flung him back onto the ground to hear him groan a sound of pain.

It was 1st period. And Arnold was dreading the outcome of the next 45 minutes he'd have to share sitting a row ahead of her. His pupils shrunk as soon as the door swung open to a growling Helga. 'Just ignore her' he told him self. But of course as soon as she sat in her seat behind him, he could hear multiple rips of paper indicate his fate for today.  
Pelt. Flinch. He'd usually turn around. No way was he doing that today. He just sat there cringing at every spitball that came his way.

3rd period rolled around and the boy was still picking helga's ammo out of his hair.  
But he stoped messing with his head as soon as he was assigned Helga's partner.  
Of all days. As delighted as Helga was to be paired with her love, her defense was already set in motion. Once they moved there desks together, there was only silence for a while. Finally Arnold gave in. "Do you have the bottles, with you Helga?" He gently asked his paper. He didn't need to look up to know she was glaring at him. "Nope. I don't football head. Guess we are going to have to rely on your stupid speech." Arnold didn't respond. He just continued writing. "What are you writing anyway? I told you I should have been the one to do that part... you don't even know what your-"  
With out saying a word Arnold dropped his pencil mid sentence and slid the paper over to Helga. "Oh paste for brains, doesn't know how to speak now?" Arnold just sighed. Helga paused. 'he hasn't even made eye contact with me since this morning'. "Look at me." She demanded. He slowly looks up. "What." "I'm not writing this thing. You started it so stop being weird and finish it." His emotionless face morphs Into annoyance. "Well, to be Honest Helga, you were pretty rough this morning. I don't think I'm the one acting weird." "I wasn't weird I was mean. I'm always mean. Now finish or were gonna get a zero" she growls. "We aren't going to even get a passing grade regardless. You decided not to do your part." He states But immediately regrets saying it because helga's eyes narrow darkly. "For your information Arnold-o, I did do my part." She harshly whispers. "Then where are the bottles? Or were you to distracted thinking of new ways to torture me?" He complains as Helga scoffs. "Ok and up next is Arnold and Helga!" The teacher states. Arnold grabs his paper and stands up. But two seconds into his walk to the front, he I feels something stump his foot and ends up thrusted onto the ground. Giggles and whispers escape the mouths of the classmates. But the most thundering of all laughs came from right beside him. "I guess I was," she smirks.


	2. she's not satan, Gerald

Call me by my name. Part 2 (Before I start, lemme just say that this is actually my first fanfic and I wasn't even planning on posting this. I barely gave any thought to part 1 cause I was just writing it for fun, BUT now I'm going to try. So... let's see what happens. Also thanks for reading I guess, this is so weird for me haha. The next one will be longer. Ok Imma go now so you can judge my writing.)  
It was the next morning. Arnold stood at the bus stop staring off into nothing.  
The image of him tripping kept replaying over and over again in his mind. Not only was he embarrassed, but also a little confused. It wasn't the first time she had ever tripped him. She had actually tripped him numerous times on several occasions. But that was more when they were younger. Along with smearing paint on his shirt, tying his shoe laces together, holding the nozzle of the water fountain down, or any other way she could mess with him. That stuff began to die down a while ago. Now, the norm had been scowl, growl, spitball, and stomp away. So why was she so much more intense yesterday? 'She was just having a bad day.' He reasoned with himself. After a couple seconds he narrowed his eyes. 'Yeah, well that doesn't mean she has to take it out on me.' He argued. 'She always takes it out on you.' 'Why do we let her?' After having a short argument with him self, he actually took a moment to ponder over his question. 'Why do I let her?' "Hey, man!" Arnold looked over his shoulder to see Gerald rushing over to him. "Guess what day it is?" Gerald asked as the corners of his mouth curled up. Arnold rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Frida-" "FRIDAY," he raved while grabbing and shaking Arnold by the arms. "We did it buddy. We made it through the week. Give your self a pat on the back, and get your butt over to my house for video games as soon as we get out of that demonic hell hole we call school!" "Ok sure." Arnold laughed. Gerald raised his eye brow. "Why are you laughing?" "You're just very... enthusiastic." "Would you rather me act like a dead corpse? Come on, you're lucky you got a friend like me. I'm the life of the party." He finishes with confidence, pushing out his chest. "Whatever you say Gerald," Arnold sighed as he shook his head. Gerald looked near the road. Then suddenly snickered too. But for a different reason. "So how was that fall you took yesterday in science class?" Arnold's eyes widened. 'And just as I had begun to forget about that.' "It was great Gerald. Especially the part where everyone laughed in my face including my best friend," He turned to give Gerald a look. "Hey dude, if you're gonna be angry at anyone it should be the girl who tripped you. Satan herself." "She's not satan, Gerald." Gerald looked around then back at him.  
Even Arnold suddenly blinked. 'Why am I defending her?' "Why are you defending her?" He asked with a tone of confusion. "I... don't know." The blonde responded with a surprised look on his face. Silence had token up 30 seconds until Gerald lifted his hand up to Arnold's forehead. "Are you feeling ok?" Arnold swatted him away and stumbled backwards. "I'm fine-" "You sure you didn't hit your head-" "I didn't hit my hea-" "Cause your head does look swollen-" "Gerald I'm fine!" "...Oh wait, your head always looks like that-" "GERALD!" The teen with the skyscraper styled hair busted out laughing, while Arnold folded his arms and rolled his eyes. As soon as Gerald got breathe again he spoke through his giggles saying, "Oh boy, you must've eaten a bowl of crazy this morning!" Arnold lifted his foot and quickly pivoted his body toward the direction of school and started walking. Gerald looked up "Hey, where're you going! The bus stop is over here!" "I'm walking!" "Oh come on, I'm sorry! Your heads normal sized I promise!" 


	3. are you going to Rhonda's party tonight?

Call me by my name part 3 (Ok I'm really getting into this now. Please tell me what you think!)

Helga liked art. Of course she never let anyone know that, but she liked it. She was good at drawing and had the class with Phoebe so it basically felt like a free period to her. It was also a way to express her feelings. So you'd think she'd just be scribbling harshly in a rage trying her best to rip the paper into pieces. But it was actually quite the opposite. Her hands had never been used so gently. She didn't squeeze the pencil in a death grip. She held it like it were her dearest friend. She didn't grumble to herself as she stiffly drew. She'd breath slowly and rest her cheek onto the palm of her hand. It was calming. Because she wasn't thinking about all the judgmental teachers, or her scream until your ears bleed dad, or even her mother that couldn't tell the difference between a stuffed animal and a puppy. She thought about Arnold. She thought about his smile. His laugh. Basically anything about him that gave her butterflies. And that was everything. And then the thought came up that she could have been a little nicer to him yesterday. Arnold's words started to ring in her ears 'Well, to be honest Helga, you were pretty rough this morning.' She could have been nicer to him every day. Let's face it. She wasn't even trying. You'd think that by now they'd sort of be friends. She's made no progress! If anything she's made it worse! She locked the door to their opportunity of cooperation! But where is the key! Lost in the depths of her soul where- "Helga? Are... you ok?" Phoebe had snapped Helga out of her spiraling thoughts. "Wha- heh- yeah of course I am! ...Why?" Her best friend's eyes wandered to helga's pencil which had broke. "You've been drawing, using pencil with no lead for a while now." "Oh." "Or is that a new technique or something?" "Shut up Pheebs." The girl giggled. "Shutting!" She sang as she continued with her own drawing. Helga reached for the sharpener but paused when she heard a student behind her whisper to her friend, "Are you going to Rhonda's party tonight?" "Of course I am, is that even a question?" The two girls giggled. Helga couldn't hold back from rolling her eyes. 'Well I know what I'm not doing tonight' She told herself as she began sharpening her pencil.

"Arnold, I know what we are doing tonight!" Gerald smirked as he sat at their usual lunch table. "Video games, right?" Arnold replied while lifting his sandwich, eager to take a bite. But Gerald swiftly snatched the sandwich from his hands. "Oh yeah, scratch that. We is gonna party tonight!" The teen howled before taking a huge bite as if it was some sort of right of passage to eat Arnold's food. Arnold just stared. He didn't really like parties. It was too loud, and he wasn't into drinking so every one would assign him as their personal designated driver. Let's just say, he couldn't go to one party with out getting humped or puked on. Sometimes both. "First of all I skipped breakfast, so you owe me a sandwich. Second I'm not going to a party tonight." Geralds eyes widened. He started snapping in Arnold's face as he told him, "hey buddy! Sandwiches can be replaced but a hella fun experience can't! It's RHONDA'S party dude. You know they get super crazy we can't miss out on it!" Arnold sighed. "You just want me to drive you home Gerald." "No I don't I never said that. Loosen up. It's time for you to have fun man. live a little and have a drink or four." "Then how am I gonna get home?" "We'll walk it's not that far!" Arnold folded his arms. "...please?" "Fine, but you gotta promise you won't ditch me for Phoebe again this time." Gerald held up is hand and placed it on his chest. "I promise."

"Gerald you promised!" Arnold paced around the bright LED light filled room looking for Gerald. As soon as Phoebe had appeared Gerald disappeared. It was like a magic trick. Only, Arnold was the one that felt lost. He wasn't even sure if his best friend could hear his screams cause the music was blasted so loud, it basically gave Arnold temporary deaf ears. Not to mention the sting at the eyes from all of the flashing lights that weren't even lined up to the beat of the music. Not that he could really hear the beat anyway. But he decided to give it one more try. "GERALD IM GONNA KILL YOU!" Suddenly a hand grabbed Arnold's shoulder and twisted him around rather aggressively. As soon as Arnold realized who the hand belonged to, he felt his stomach drop.  
"H-Helga?!" "Scream again and I'm actually going to kill you!" Arnold couldn't make out what she was saying but based on her expression, it was probably a threat. "What?!" He tried to ask. Helga growled and with out warning took his arm and dragged him into another room. As soon as she closed the door she cringed realizing they had stumbled into Princess Ronda's room. Filled with designer clothes and anything with sparkles. But as soon as she regained her composure, she calmly turned to Arnold and opened her mouth. "...WHERE THE HELL IS PHOEBE?!" Arnold flinched. Surprisingly helga's voice was louder then the speakers. "Nice to see you too, Helga." Helga folded her arms and glared. "...Are you going to answer my question?" "That was a question? Sorry, your too quiet," He sarcastically replied while rubbing his left ear. Of course when ever Arnold tried to play or mess with Helga it automatically made her angrier. She never wanted to feel inferior in front of him. So she grabbed his hair and pulled him down to her face. "Ow!" "I can scream into your ear if you'd like football head," she seethed. "No, no that's ok I can hear you now." "Good," she swung his head back up. "So for the last time, where is phoebe?" "With Gerald." "And where's Gerald?" "I wish I knew. I've been looking for him for a while now." "You can't find a guy with hair that's 10 feet tall?!" She scolded. Arnold frowned. 'Is she serious right now?' "I was in the middle of looking for him until you dragged me in here to yell at me." Helga rolled her eyes. 'Ok I'm clearly annoying him.' "Ugh. You're useless, football head." She immediately walked out the door before she could say something she'd regret. As the door closed Arnold sighed. "It's... Arnold."


	4. run as fast as you can!

Call me by my name part 4 (I have so many ideas nowww)  
Rhonda stood on the balcony. Leaning on the railing and gazing down with an eager smile plastered on her face. Her eyes lit up and she turned around as soon as she heard the door open hoping it was the person she was waiting for. "Oh, I knew you'd- oh." It wasn't. The girl sighed. "It's just you Nadine." Nadine smiled. Although it was an awkward smile, given her best friend wasn't thrilled to see her. "What are you doing out here?" She asked. Rhonda turned back around. "Just waiting for Jack Meyers." "Jack Meyers?" "Of course! I Invited him but he said he was hanging out with the other football players. So I invited the whole team! Isn't he just dreamy?" Nadine walked over and leaned on the railing beside her. "Uhh well sure. But... what if he doesn't come? Are you just gonna be waiting out here the whole night?" Rhonda's smile dissolved into a worried frown. "Why wouldn't he come? You think he won't come?" "No no, he probably will. I just want you to enjoy the party that's all." And just like that, Rhonda perked right back up. "Thanks Nadine! But don't worry I'm fine. I think I'll just wait out here a little longer." Nadine rested her face with her fists. "...Then I will too."

Arnold has been searching for Gerald for 30 minutes now. The place was so big it felt like a maze. 'Why couldn't we have just chilled and played video games tonight?' After turning a corner, he ended up in the kitchen. "Mwah-Hey Arnowld!" A muffled voice greeted. Harold had also found himself in the kitchen. Naturally of course. That's where most of the food was. "Hey, have you seen Gerald?" This time Harold waited until after he finished eating to reply. "No, sorry. Hey, wanna drive me home tonight?" Arnold glanced at all the chip bags that had been torn apart and devoured. He was not going to be hurled on tonight. "...No Harold. I really don't. And even if I did, I wouldn't be able to. Because I walked here. With Gerald." Arnold leaned his back against the wall and slid down releasing a sigh. "Who I can't seem to find."

"Phoebe, I really need to go find Arnold he's probably pissed." Gerald whispered to phoebe as he ran his fingers through her hair. "Noooo." Phoebe pouted. "Yeees" He mimicked as he started to stand up from the couch in Rhonda's basement. But she grabbed his hand and pulled him back down. "He'll be fine Gerald." Phoebe surprisingly loved going to parties. As long as Gerald was there. It gave her an excuse to act 'unlike' her self and make out with him for as long as she wanted cause she could always just blame it on the alcohol. She made Helga come but secretly snuck away from her in hopes that Helga and Arnold would actually start to get along If they were alone together.  
Plus, Gerald's lips were just so soft. She couldn't stay away from him. "Phoebe I-" "What, you don't want to be with me?" She asked rapping her arms around his neck. "Of course I wanna be with you, baby." Phoebe sighed. "You know, we never see each other. I can't even sit with you at lunch because of the way Arnold and Helga act towards each other," She whined. Gerald looked at her with loving eyes. 'Arnold...will be fine' And thus, they continued making out. Just the two of them. All alone.

Or so they thought. The door had been cracked open. And Helga had been on the other side of it. Shocked and horrified seeing that Phoebe had ditched her for a low life like Gerald. Especially when phoebe was the one who begged her to come. She was about to barge in and make a scene when she realized she wasn't the only one looking for their friend. She wanted to help Arnold out. The poor guy had been walking around in circles completely oblivious to the fact that there was a basement. She also wanted to see Gerald's face when he finds out they caught em.

"GUESS WHO BROUGHT BROWNIES?!" Sid yelled as he slid into the kitchen lifting a tin pan full of chocolate goodness over his head.  
Harold's eyes widened. "Gimme gimme!" Sid paused and slowly hugged the pan tightly to his chest when he realized Harold was there. "Shit." "Come on man! Let me have some!" "No way your gonna eat them all!" Harold lunged at Sid, but the teen quickly moved to the side avoiding his attack and letting Harold fall to the floor. "Awww why can't I?" "Because they aren't those kind of brownies dummy." Arnold wasn't listening. He was too tired. His eyes were closed and he was trying to drown out all of the outside noise. He almost drifted of to sleep when he felt Sid slam the pan into his chest. "Hey! What the-" "take em arnold! Don't let Harold get them!" Apparently Harold had grabbed Sid's foot causing him to also fall onto the ground. Arnold looked at the brownies "Why me?" "Cause you're a goody two shoes." He let out his last breathe. "I know your not going to eat them." Arnold narrowed his eyes. "Now run Arnold! Run as fast as you can!" Sid screamed as if it was the end of the world. Arnold just sat there. He was so done. "This is ridiculous. You guys are drunk." At this point Harold was on top of Sid and they were aggressively wrestling. "I SAID RUN ARNOLD!" Sid cried. Arnold got up and ran. But for a different reason. He couldn't handle the screaming. The music. The lights. Every thing. He had to get out of there. He had to- all of a sudden he bumped into someone. "ugh! hey, watch where you're going!" A familiar voice barked. 'Great' he inwardly scowled. 'Just what I need' "look, I'm sorry Helga I'm just trying to-" "I found Gerald." "I get it, you're mad but- wait what really?" This was the first time Arnold smiled since he got here. This was also the first time Helga did too. But as soon as it appeared she forced it into a scowl. "Yep. I found him. Yknow, since you couldn't." She stated nonchalantly. "That's great Helga! Where is he?" "..." "Helga?" "I'm trying to think...should I tell you?" She smirked like a demon would. Arnold blinked. "Are you serious? You're gonna make me beg?" "Yeah. It's fun that way." She explained while folding her arms. She kinda wished she wasn't making him squirm. She genuinely wanted to help him. But she couldn't make it that obvious. 'I hope he knows I'm joking. Oh my god. Am I trying to flirt with him? I'm not very good at this.' Arnold stared at her. 'Of course. She had to have it her way. Why in the world would she do anything for me without watching me suffer first.' Arnold felt defeated. He was about to give in and plead, when...he noticed her face. Like really noticed it. She looked so amused. So excited to see him to get on his knees and beg for mercy. He had always felt small around Helga. Like a mat she could just walk all over when ever she felt like it. For once he was wondering what it would feel like to finally feel bigger. And so he smiled. Maybe it was the loud music he suddenly found tolerable giving him courage, but it got him to walk closer towards Helga. He took a breath, and said,"How do I even know you found Gerald?" He accused. Helga blinked. She wasn't expecting... that. He smirked. 'Gotcha' "I'm outta here," he stated as he moved pass Helga and towards the door. That's all he needed to say.

He felt bigger.

That is, until he was tripped.

"Hahaha!" There it was again. That thundering laugh. Mocking him. "Smooth one Arnold-o!" Maybe she was satan.

(Don't worry Arnold will find his confidence again soon!)  



	5. why are you smiling at me?

Call me by my name part 5 (Buckle up cause this is gonna be a long chapter. Also you guys are nice jeez Louise, thanks for not hating me!)

Arnold had just been tripped by Helga.  
Again. As she towered over her secret muse, she noticed the pan of brownies that had fell onto the floor. It had landed upright, so the brownies themselves were fine. When Arnold lifted his head up with a groan, he saw her hands take the 'special' pan from his reach. "Thanks, football head," She thanked with malice while she stepped over his body to be the first one out the door. 'What am I'm doing, what am I doing!' Helga's heart was pounding. 'Go back and help him up!' She pleaded herself. But her boots just kept stomping away. Once again, Arnold felt small. Even smaller than he felt before. Microscopic. But he was determined to make that change. He narrowed his eyes, pushed himself up, and swung the door back open.

"It's. Arnold." He mumbled. Helga stopped movement with wide eyes. She put on her best 'I don't fucking care' face and turned around. "What?" "It's Arnold, Helga! That's my name, call me by my name!" The boy yelled as he marched over to her. Helga just scoffed. "And why would I do that?" "Because you- just- I cant understand why- for once why can't you..." he was fumbling with his words. There was so much he wanted to say. The anger boiling inside him made him sound hysterical. So he closed his eyes and took a breath. "You... are acting like a child." Helga raised her eyebrow. "Pretty sure you are, with the way you just fell over your words like that." "Stop! This is what I'm talking about! You're trying to turn it on me as if you hadn't been yelling at me all day! We are 17! You're acting like we are in the forth grade again!" Helga blushed. Because she knew it was true. She was embarrassed. She knew she was acting ruthless. But she was having extreme trouble concealing her affections every time they encountered each other which had been a lot more lately, and it made her need for defense even stronger. But in that instance a lump in her throat had formed. "Who do you think your talking to?!" Arnold blinked. "News flash, I don't like you! That's just the way it is! Of course I'm not gonna be nice to you! Get over it!" She yelled. Helga could see that her words were affecting Arnold. Because he got all quiet. But she didn't actually know why. Her heart felt like it was about to jump out of her chest. She walked even closer into his personal space. "Which is why I love to call you football head. Because I know you hate it. Because I want you to hate it. Football head." What Helga didn't realize until now, was the sound of her voice. It had cracked at the beginning of her speech. She could feel the tears forming in her eyes. And Arnold could see them. He didn't know what to do. The things she had said to him were cruel. But the way she said it was... painful for her? She was on the verge of crying. He was confused. But couldn't find the urge to ask her why she sounded like that. He noticed the girl was shaking. He didn't want her to cry. At this point it was obvious she was going through something he wasn't aware of. "Ok." He didn't really know what else to say. He moved around her, and just started to walk home. But so did Helga. She walked ahead of him, and avoided eye contact. "Where are you going?" He heard him self quietly ask. "Home, stupid!" Arnold would usually get annoyed by something like that. But he couldn't hear Helga anymore. He heard a girl who was trying really hard not to cry. What was happening? "Helga?" "..." He knew he shouldn't be interfering with her emotions, but this person in front of him was completely new. She was even trying to stomp in her natural Helga-ish way, but kept fumbling over her feet trying to make sure she was at least faster then him. Arnold didn't feel huge. But he at least sort of felt like an equal. It was weird. "Helga, just stop." She continued to walk faster. But Arnold caught up. "Helga just-" he ran in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Just...stop." Helga stopped. But she wouldn't look him in the eye. Arnold was definitely looking Her's though. He knew she had this side. But she kept trying to pretend it wasn't there. She started to push him away but he wouldn't let go. "Let go of me! I'm serious! I hate you!" "I don't care!" He screamed back. He was genuinely concerned. Finally, she looked up at him. A tear rolled down her cheek. He wanted to wipe it away. But he didn't want to get slapped in the face. 'Fuck it' He took the chance and hesitantly wiped her tear away with his thumb. "You need to calm down. I don't know what's wrong but you are having a breakdown." He explained. "I know you don't like me. That's fine. Just let me help you though." She didn't respond. So he grabbed her arm and continued. "Here, let's just sit. Let's just sit, and breath. Okay?" He pulled her down to the ground.  
This was so weird. She was cooperating. He noticed she still had the brownie pan in her hand. "Hey, let's have a brownie. Eating naturally makes the body feel calmer." That was the mistake Arnold made. He hadn't even heard of the term edible before. He just thought they were normal brownies. He grabbed two, and handed one to Helga. She paused. What were they doing? Eating brownies on a side walk? "This is ridiculous." She protested. "Helga. Trust me, I'm just trying to help you. You can even call me names if you want." He smiled good heartedly. That broke her. He was willing to put up with her insults for the sake of helping her. She took the brownie. A couple minutes passed by, and no one had said a word. Helga looked at the flowers she surprisingly never looked at before. And Arnold looked at the girl he surprisingly never looked at before. She was calm. Her hair was up in a ponytail like always. He quietly chuckled when he remembered what her hair used to look like when they were younger. Her pigtails used to stick out from the sides. It was so goofy. But her bow. That was his favorite part. It was pink like the dress she used to wear. Now she just wore jean shorts, a white cropped shirt, and an oversized flannel. It was cute. But he wished she kept the bow. Regardless, she was beautiful without it. He watched her take another bite. But when he did, he noticed a bruise on her wrist. As her hand came back down to rest on her knee, it lead his eyes to find even more bruises on her leg. 'I wonder what happened' As interested he was in wanting to find out where they came from, he decided against it. For once, Helga wasn't yelling at him. Why ruin a good thing.

"He should be here any minute now." Rhonda reassured herself and Nadine. "Right." Nadine agreed. She agreed with anything Rhonda said. But this time, she wasn't so sure if this one was true.  
"So what are you gonna do when he comes?" "Everything," She smiled with crazy eyes. The whole school knew who Rhonda was. She was popular. She was gorgeous. But she was depressed. She basically had a new boyfriend every 1-2 weeks. It's not that she was shallow. Ok maybe a little shallow, but she just couldn't find the right guy. She had never gone farther than 2nd base in any relationship. It was killing her. Why couldn't she do it? What was wrong with her? Then it hit her. The most popular girl, should be with the most popular guy. It all made sense. Jack Meyers. He was the one. He had to be. It was her last resource. Even if she had to get shit faced to make it happen. She was gonna do it. "Oh I'm just so excited!" She jumped up and down. Nadine wasn't as perky. But if Jack made Rhonda happy, that's all that mattered. Then all of a sudden, a butterfly appeared on a tree branch right next to them. Nadine's eyes lit up. "Look, a morpho!" "Ew Nadine, I told you I'm not into bugs they freak me out-" "This one you'll, like I promise," The girl laughed as she leaned closer to Rhonda to get a sense of her eye level, and pointed. "See, it's a butterfly. What the heck is it doing flying at night?" Once Rhonda spotted it, she had to admit, it was nice to admire. "Awe, it's actually really cute." "Told ya," Nadine smirked. Rhonda gasped. "And it's blue! Our favorite color!" "Yknow, around the world people view the butterfly as a symbol of life, hope, and change." Surprisingly, Rhonda became really interested in this butterfly. "You mean something is going to change?" Nadine glanced into Rhonda's eyes. "...it could." "This is perfect!" Nadine could feel her heart start to pick up its pace. "Really?" "Yes! It means I'm going to change and finally find the right guy- I knew it was jack!" ...that's not exactly what nadine wanted to hear. "are you sure-" "It's going to be like the titanic! Jack and Rhonda. Rhonda kinda sounds like rose right?" "I guess," nadine sighed as she looked away trying her best to be a good friend. But Rhonda could see her face. "What?" Rhonda questioned with offense taken. Nadine looked back at her with worry. "...nothing-" "Well you just don't get it." Nadine put on a skeptical face. "What don't I get?" "Let's just say you aren't as popular so you just don't understand that I-" "-you've barely even talked to the guy." Nadine interrupted trying to keep her cool. But Rhonda's stubbornness inside pretended she didn't hear that and continued. "So, you can't possibly understand the pressure of having to be with the right guy when everyone is constantly staring at you the whole time," She finished sticking her nose in the air. But she quickly snapped her eyelids open when she felt something light and crawly on the top of her nose. It was the butterfly. She stood like a statue. "Ahhh! Get it off! Shit!" Although nadine was annoyed she wasn't being listened to, she couldn't hide her series of chuckles escape her mouth. Which automatically got Rhonda to let out a fearful laugh herself. "Nadine I'm serious, what do I do?!" "I thought you said you liked it-" "I do but- personal space! It's still a bug!" Nadine shook her head and lifted her finger as a bridge for the blue angel, to carefully remove it away from Rhonda's nose. "Technically, it's an insect actually." "I don't care..." Rhonda said while wiping her nose. But after a few more seconds of staring at it she gave in. "We should definitely name it though." "Bob." Nadine Joked. "No." "Stacy." "No." "...hope?" Rhonda smiled. "Hope," She accepted as she wondered how her night would turn out with Jack. Little did she know, Nadine was hoping the same thing. Except it was about her and Rhonda instead.

As time passed they both ate about 3 brownies. As soon as Helga finished her last brownie she snuck a glance at Arnold. He was trying to get crumbs out of his fingernails. Helga smiled.  
They were now high. Arnold looked up and to his shock, caught her smiling. Which got him to grin back. "Why are you smiling at me?" He laughed. Helga blinked. She didn't realize what she had been doing. "Uh, no I wasn't- I wasn't even looking at you," She tried to scowl. Arnold could see right through it though. But he figured he'd let her think she got away with it. "Are you feeling ok now Helga?" He asked. Helga felt amazing. Besides the awkwardness of it all, she was just so calm. She didn't need to worry about anything. Besides, she was with the most sweetest guy in the world.  
"I guess," she replied. "Good," he stood up and reached his hand out. "I can walk you home... if you want." Helga took his hand with out hesitation. "No," she answered as she stood up. Arnold frowned. "Oh, ok I just-" "-No I'm just not going home right now. I lied. I'm probably just gonna go walk around till I know my dad is asleep." She explained. Arnold looked at his phone. "It's 8 Helga." "Yeah, so?" Helga started to walk a few steps away. "You're gonna walk around alone?" Helga turned around. "Wow. You really are lame. If your so worried just come with me football head." Arnold couldn't tell if that was an insult or an invite. Maybe both. She didn't seem angry. Just mellow. But Helga had... smiled at him. He knew it was a silly reason to tag along, but for once he actually felt like he had helped her. Helga had already started walking and Arnold decided to catch up with her. Everything seemed strange. But they didn't really mind it. Arnold spoke first. "So... I think I might have anxiety." "Psh well duh that's obvious. You were pretty much sweating bullets back at Rhonda's." "But, I love people. Meeting and learning about them. I mean, I think I'm pretty outgoing. Or at least I used to be." This is where Helga realized who she was talking to. Arnold. And he was... talking. To her. About feelings. Why? She was about to impulsively shoot an 'I don't care' but she didn't want to. She wanted to have a real conversation. Something they have never actually done. It was scary, but for some reason she felt she could do it. She was just in a different state of mind. "I don't like party's either. Trust me, you are way better at talking to people then me. I just roar like a monster and watch them run away, it's great," Helga joked causing a chuckle out of Arnold. "Hey, at least you get what you want. Every one keeps crowding around me asking me to either be their chauffeur or therapist." "Ha. You'd be a great therapist." Arnold blinked. It kinda sounded like a genuine complement. And Helga was so distracted by his hair to even catch herself. 'It looks so soft. If we were together I'd be able to touch it all the time.'  
Arnold was planning on thanking her but couldn't seem to move his lips. It's probably because he wasn't exactly sure if she meant it. It was just, so unlike her. He didn't want to thank her just to have her laugh in his face cause he didn't get the joke. Before he had time to figure out what to say, they both spotted slausen's across the street. Even after eating brownies, they had this weird hunger that just wasn't satisfied. Arnold turned to Helga. "Hey, wanna go get a milkshake or something?" "You read my mind. But I have no money." "Don't worry, I can pay for us." And at that moment, Helga figured it out. Or at least she thought she did. She was dreaming. This was a dream. How did she not see this earlier!So she gave him a smile he would have never expected to come from his tormentor. It was loving. "Thanks. I really appreciate it." She replied sweetly. The boy blinked. "Wait, you-" but like lightning, Helga had already snatched his hand and proceeded to pull him across the street. "Come on I'm hungry!" She giggled. Arnold felt his cheeks turn a shade of pink. What the hell was happening? Why did he like it? This was too weird.

Helga and Arnold we're sitting in a booth waiting for their milkshakes. And Helga was... definitely not glaring at him. There was no need to hide her grin now that she understood what was going on. Arnold on the the other hand, felt... confused. He could have sworn this girl hated him 5 minutes ago. "I'm kinda glad we left that stupid party." Helga expressed while looking into his eyes. "Yeah I think my ears are broken now." He joked. But he wasn't expecting her to laugh. At least not a lot. But she did. A lot. At this point, Arnold didn't know who this foreign girl was and why she was in helga's body, but it kinda scared him. 'Maybe she's just trying to mess with me or something.' "Helga... what are you doing?" "What do you mean?" "I don't know, you're just acting different." "Oh. That's cause I get it." She smirked. Arnold looked around then back at her. "Get what?" Helga leaned in close to him and lifted her hand to cup her mouth. "This is a dream," she whispered. "A dream?" "Uh duh, why else would we be getting along right now?" Normally Arnold wouldn't be dumb enough to believe that he was dreaming. But this wasn't normal Arnold. At the time it actually made a lot of sense. The puzzle pieces were finally connected. This made Arnold a lot more comfortable. "Ohhhh!" "Right?!" They both found themselves bursting with laughter. And once they looked back up at each other, everything was different. They felt so free. Like they could tell each other anything. Because it wasn't real. Suddenly feelings of excitement rushed into Arnold's body. He could really say... anything. "Helga I-" "Alright one cookies n cream, and one double chocolate." The employee said as she gave each their milkshakes. "Oh thanks," Arnold said quickly so he could return back to Helga who was all ready sucking on the straw. "Helga-" "Wow, this is really good for a dream milkshake." Arnold couldn't help but chuckle once more. This is what his mind thought Helga was like? Cute and bubbly? Or was it what he secretly hoped she'd act like? What ever it was, he decided he loved it. Because all of a sudden a specific memory from 7th grade popped into his head. The thought he had been pushing far FAR away into the back of his mind for a years now. It finally came back into the light. The fact that Arnold had once, sorta had... a crush on Helga. Oh god how he wished it wasn't true. How stupid he felt when he thought Helga rejected him. And after all of that, she still couldn't respect him enough to call him by his own name. All those feelings came rushing back. "Helga, you know I used to have a crush on you right?" Helgas eyes widened and she looked up from her drink. "You what?" "Yeah. I guess this was the kind of person I thought I'd see once I told you but... I't wasn't." "What do you mean, you never told me anything. But I wish you did." She smiled. Arnold raised an eyebrow. 'Oh so this is the scenario where she doesn't know.' "Well I used to. It was small, but it- I... it was stupid." Arnold began to blush when he felt helga's hand cover his. "It's not stupid." She promised. Still thinking she was speaking to her dream Arnold. "It's what I wished you'd say all along. But Yknow, I never gave you a chance to even consider it." Arnold just stared at her. "Let's be honest I'm a full on bitch to you." She bluntly explained. "Helga you're not a bitch. Don't call yourself that. You just... like to make my life a little harder. For some reason." "Well come on, its pretty obvious why I'm so mean to you. It's cause I'm in love with you." Arnold couldn't believe what his mind was telling him. "Yeah, I wish. Good one." "I'd obviously never tell you. You'd laugh in my face." "No I wouldn't." "No really, the real you would." "Well the real you would probably punch me in the face." "No I wouldn't. I know I act like it, but I literally don't think I'm capable of severely hurting you. That's why I grab your hair and shirt so much." "Yeah, I hate it when you do that. It's like you're claiming your stupid bully dominance." Even though she thought he was just dream Arnold, she really did feel bad. "Yeah. I can tell every time you flinch. It's kinda heartbreaking. I've been especially touchy lately, sorry. My dad is just... he just really sucks. And I know that's not an excuse, but I think I should run away or something. Maybe move in with Pheebs." Arnold blinked. "What, why?" "Cause, he keeps- He just-"she grabbed her wrist and found herself shaking. Arnold looked and remembered it was the bruise. "Helga is he actually hurting you?" She looked back up. Tears started to form once again. Which scared Arnold. "No, please don't cry again. Please don't." But she started to cry anyways. He quickly got up from his seat and over to her side of the booth. Helga felt Arnold hug her and she immediately grabbed him tightly. 'God I wish you were real,' They both wished. He felt like he could hold her forever. She was so warm. She was so- RINGGGG. Someone was calling Arnold. Helga looked up. "It's ok you can take it." "Are you sure?" She nodded. Arnold got his phone from his pocket. It was Gerald. He answered the call. "Hello?" "Hey buddy, did you leave the party?" Arnold rolled his eyes. "Well, yeah you ditched me." "I know I know. I'm sorry. I understand if you wanna give me a silent treatment for a couple weeks I deserve it. But... maybe you should tell me where you are right now cause Sid just gave me some interesting news." "What do you mean?" "He told me he gave you some brownies. You didn't eat any did you?" "They are just brownies Gerald, it's not really a big deal." "Bro, just... okay- they... bro you ate pot brownies." "What's a pot?" "Oh my god Arnold. There was weed in the brownies man! Marijuana dude! So just tell me where you are, I will find you and walk you home it's all going to be fi-"

Arnold hung up the phone.

He looked at the girl whose head was resting on his shoulder.

Still holding onto him.

With her beautiful eyes closed.

They opened as soon as Arnold spoke, "Helga."

"Yeah?"

'Oh god' he thought. 'OH GOD'

"We... aren't in a dream."

Helga's heart began to pound harder then ever before.

"What do you mean?"

"Those brownies... had weed in them."

Helga looked up at Arnold slowly.

"... WE'RE HIGH?!" She screamed for all the employees to hear.

Arnold flinched. He knew she was gonna yell.


	6. he knocked

Call me by my name part 6 (Keep telling me what you think, I appreciate your opinions. Also I want to be a filmmaker so I have this undying love for movies. So I can be very critical. That being said, I did not appreciate the 2 Hey Arnold movies. The first one especially didn't even represent what hey Arnold was all about. And the second one was unrealistic based on the way the shows actually go. I could rant about them for hours. I don't hate them. It's mediocre entertainment. But I just don't take them seriously. Therefore, I'm only basing my writing on the events of the actual series. So the aggressive FTI rooftop scene did not happen, and neither did the way to delicate jungle kiss scene. SERIOUSLY, I find both scenes less than semi satisfying because of the horrible awkwardness. Ok done sorry. Really though I'd like to know what y'all think of my writing.)

-flash back-

7th grade Arnold closed his eyes and took a breath. He was at the door of the Pataki's residence holding a pink rose in both hands near his chest. The boy had already stood there for 5 minutes now. Just trying to find his own courage. He knew it was in there somewhere. But it crept into hiding as soon as he reached the last of the steps to the door.  
He opened his eyes back up and sucked on his teeth when one of his fingers poked a thorn that stuck out of the stem. He lifted his hand up to take a look at his pricked finger. He spotted a little blood. The rose was pretty. But the thorns under the flower hurt. It was different with Helga though. With her, all he could see was a bush of spiky thorns. Well, From afar. When he looked closer he could detect holes. Giving him a glimpse of pink petals. He wasn't sure if it was all in his head. Because the thorns she showcased, were sharp to the point. He only hoped that underneath it all, there really was a beautiful flower waiting. Waiting for him to get over his stupid fears and knock on the damn door already. He was about ask Helga to the valentines school dance. He didn't really understand why he was going to do such a weird thing. All he knew was that after summer ended and school started up again, the first time he saw Helga he wasn't even sure if it was truly her. He noticed her new body features. He noticed her evil smirk was replaced with a quick witted smirk. He noticed that her blue eyes suddenly sparkled. But most importantly, he noticed her lack of pranks. Her lack of hatred she threw at him. Sure she wasn't the nicest, but at least she wasn't going out of her way to annoy him. She even didn't mind calling him Arnold from time to time. This gave him an opportunity to really understand how he felt about Helga. And somehow he developed a small crush on the girl.

'Okay Arnold, you can do this.' He reluctantly shaped his hand into a fist and slowly reached his arm out for the door. 2 inches away, and he stops himself. 'What am I doing? She's gonna kill me once she finds out how I feel.' He glanced at his fist. It begins to pull back a little. 'I don't even feel... this is... just...' His mind began to race. What would happen when he knocked on the door? Would she even give him a chance to explain himself, or would she see the rose and immediately crinkle her face with disgust? Would she laugh? She'd laugh. There's no way she wouldn't manically laugh. Or yell. Or both. He could feel his sweat drip down the side of his face. He was stupid for thinking this could happen. This was all new. It was all weird. THIS IS HELGA WE ARE TALKING ABOUT. Why would he even sorta like her? She had shown no interest in him. Just some tolerance. They weren't even real friends yet. YET?! As if she'd even agree to being friends let alone a date to the dance. What was he doing here?! He was just going to knock on the door and say what? 'hey I know I'm the last person you'd ever want to breath next to, but apparently I just realized how cute you are when you aren't tormenting me. Wanna go to the dance together?' How crazy is that?! At this point, Arnold was hyperventilating. He was certain he was going to have a heart attack. Before he could pass out, the most horrifying thing happened.

He knocked.

His nerves had unauthorized permission from his brain to do that! His pupils shrunk. His ears heard footsteps. And all he could think was...'RUN'. He felt the rose slip through his hands, before he stumbled off the stoop into a full on sprint in the direction of his home. And when the door opened all that could be seen was a a rose resting on the welcome mat followed by the sound of a nearby trash can being knocked onto the ground.

Helga picked up the the rose then looked around in confusion. Until her eyes wandered back to the flower that had lost a few petals. "Girl! Who's at the door?!" Her dad yelled. Helga rolled her eyes. "I'll tell you if you can get my name right, Bob." She sneered as she headed back inside.

The next morning, Arnold sat at his desk fighting his urge not to throw his letter away. He had wrote a letter for her to find on her desk before English started, deciding that it was the only way he could get the words out without having to look her in the eyes. "You okay, man?" Arnold looked to the side to see a worried Gerald. "Yeah I-I'm good." Though his cracking voice sent out a different message. "You sure?" His friend questioned. "I'm fine, don't worry," Arnold reassured, yet not so reassuringly. Gerald noticed that he kept fiddling with his folded up note. "Mm hmm and whatcha got there?" He smirked. Arnold moved his note to the other side of the desk. "Uhh nothing- it's nothing." "Trying to get a date to the dance?" Gerald asked with knowing eyes. "No, it's not-" "Come on Arnold, I'm not stupid. I can tell when you have a crush. It's like we have a brother connection or something." He explained while waving his hand from his forehead to Arnold's. Before he knew it, the classroom door opened. And out came Helga followed by Lila. "Great, she's already here." Arnold sighed. Gerald looked up. "Ohhh," he smiled as the girls sat down in front of them. Arnold blinked, realizing he had just inadvertently let Gerald know his secret feelings for Helga. But Gerald hadn't even thought of Helga as a possibility. He saw Lila and immediately thought that was the girl Arnold wanted to ask out. "Yeah, y'all would be cute. Go for it man." Arnold looked back at Gerald with a raised eyebrow. "Wait, what? ...you don't think it would be weird?" He whispered back. "Course not, y'all are like perfect for each other." He encouraged. Arnold was not expecting Gerald to act this way given the silent rival Helga and him both had towards each other. But he was too worried to be thinking straight, and decided not to question it any further. "Yeah well it doesn't matter cause, now I can't put the note on her desk." "Uh, yeah you can. Just give it to her." "I can't. She probably wouldn't even accept it from me." It was Gerald's turn to raise his eyebrow. Lila was the nicest girl in their grade. Why wouldn't she take a note from him? "Fine just give it to me then, I'll deliver the message." Gerald offered.

Meanwhile, Helga sat at her desk thinking about the rose that was left at her doorstep. Her exited soul could only hope it was from Arnold. She told herself she was crazy. Deranged. Out of her mind. But she couldn't help but have this strange feeling that it could be true. This year had been different. He seemed more attentive when she spoke around him. He was more kind with his words even if Helga gave him a little bit of a hard time. Not to mention, her heart would swoon every time she caught him staring at her. So there was no way she could hide her small grin when she overheard the boys behind her whisper about some sort of note. Her eyes moved as far back as they could trying to find the boy of her dreams, but her head was determined not to turn around.

"No- Gerald I'm not gonna-" "Arnold, chill. Trust me, I got this. I won't make a big scene or anything. I'm sly, remember?" He complemented his own self while reaching for the letter. Arnold pulled away. But Gerald gave him a comforting 'brother connection' stare. After a few seconds, the stressed boy closed his eyes as he reluctantly handed the piece of paper to his friend. But If Arnold would have opened his eyes, he would have noticed that Gerald was looking at the wrong girl, ready to unknowingly fuck up the situation. Gerald swiftly nudged lila's elbow. "Pssst" This was so fun for Gerald. He felt like a spy on a mission to help out his best friend. If only he knew what he was really doing. Lila turned her head a little to see the note Gerald was trying to hand her. She smiled as she gladly accepted and unfolded the paper.

' Hey. I know this is coming out of no where, and I know I'm not your favorite person in the world, but if you gave me a chance maybe you'd see I'm not so bad. Would you... go to the valentines dance with me? -Arnold.'

Lila frowned. She liked Arnold. But not in that way. She was also surprised that he made it seem as if she wasn't even his friend. So she began to write on the back of the paper.

Helga's heart dropped when she noticed the letter was received by Lila rather than herself. '...Of course. They weren't talking about me. Why would they be?' She felt her body slouch farther into her desk. She just felt like an idiot for not even noticing the model that was just a few feet away from her.

And through it all, Arnold kept his eyes shut. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't manage to open them. He felt like they were glued together. He couldn't even imagine what was going on in Helga's head at that moment. He'd just hope that her rejection wouldn't be too harsh. Suddenly, he felt his friend tap his arm and toss the letter back to him. Arnold finally got his eyes to unlock, and he grabbed the note.

'I'm ever so sorry. I don't like you that in that way, Arnold. But don't worry. We will always be friends. :)'

Arnold stared at that paper for the rest of the period. He couldn't help but feel that something was off. Maybe it was just because she didn't say yes. But... he knew she just wouldn't write something like that. Or at least in that way. It was too nice. He wanted her to show at least a little bit of empathy, but would never have imagined to receive something like this. Or maybe... it was sarcasm? That would make more sense. In which case, it wasn't a very nice reply. Gerald leaned over to Arnold. "So, you gonna tell me what she said or?" "She said no, Gerald." Arnold sighed. Gerald frowned as he heard the bell ring. "Hey, I'm sorry buddy. It's her loss." Arnold just stared at his note. As soon as Gerald got his stuff packed up he flung his backpack over his shoulder and said, "If it makes you feel any better, I'm not going with anyone either. It's a good thing though. It means we can go together." His friend gave Arnold a pat on the back, and walked off. As soon as Arnold decided to look back up so he wouldn't be late for his next class, his eyes met Helga's. The startled boy quickly leaned away, slamming his back into his chair. She stood above him as she readjusted her backpack. "Aw, did someone decline your invitation to suck face at the dance tonight?" She mocked with a condescending tone. He blinked innocently. While she just scowled down at him. She was talking about Lila. He did not know that. "I guess so." He awkwardly responded. "I'm sooo sorry about that." 'So it was sarcasm' He figured. Annoyance rushed into his body causing his eyes to narrow. 'Well two can play at that game.' "Thanks Helga. I really appreciate it. If only everyone were as kind as you." He shot back. Helga growled. "Sure thing, football head." 'Football head' sounded extra insulting to Arnold today. He frowned. ...She really just doesn't care does she? This was the person she was choosing to act like. Right now. They were even alone besides the teacher in the back who wasn't even listening. Could she at least pretend to have a heart for one second? "Ok I get it Helga." He responded with a roll of his eyes and started to gather his things. But when he went to reach for his folder, a familiar hand had knocked it off the desk. Scattering papers onto the ground. When he looked back up she was already stomping her way out the door. And at that moment, his feelings for her vanished. Or so he thought. They were just pushed all the way to the very back of his mind. He was too embarrassed. The boy had just asked out his childhood bully. And in the process... he got bullied. For the rest of the year, they wouldn't even speak to each other unless they had to. And every encounter from then on had been hell for both of them. Each just as clueless as the other. Never understanding they both liked each other.

-end of flashback-

Until now.

"WE'RE HIGH?!" Helga screamed for the whole world to hear. She looked at her hands. They were placed on Arnold's chest. Now knowing this was not 'dream Arnold', she ripped her hands off of him and stood up. Arnold was still in a state of shock and wasn't moving. Helga tried to moved out of the booth quickly but with Arnold blocking her passage, she found herself tripping back onto him. This time in a more 'intimate' position. "A-Are you okay Hel-" "DON'T speak to me," she demanded as she rolled off of him and out of the booth. She ran her way out, and Arnold was right behind her. "Helga, wait!" But he was stopped by the Slausen's employee. "You need to pay for the milkshake's before you can leave sir."

Helga's emotions were all over the place. It was like the brownies had enhanced all her feelings. All she wanted was for this night to end. She couldn't stay there, she couldn't go home, she couldn't do anything but run away. She had just revealed her biggest secret to Arnold. And so casually, too. She cried in front of him. They even HUGGED. The world started to become dizzy. She didn't understand what was happening, but she felt like she was going to throw up. "Helga!" She heard Arnold's voice from behind. She swung around. "WHAT?!" She yelled back. Once he finally caught up with her he took a breath. "Helga, I know you are freaking out, right now but it's not safe to be-" "Don't you tell me what is and isn't safe! You made me eat those stupid brownies, and now... you're making me say things I don't mean!" "I'm sorry, I didn't know-" Helga grabbed the collar of Arnold's shirt and yanked it so hard, you could hear the threads rip. "I don't care if you knew! You made me look ridiculous!" Arnold's eyes narrowed. "Quit grabbing me, Helga! I just told you that I don't like it when you-" "You think I actually care football head?!" She interrupted, pulling even harder. "You know what? Given everything that has happened tonight, yes I do think you care!" He argued fighting for his shirt back. "What are you talking about paste for brains! I didn't mean any of it!" "Oh come on! After all of that you still can't say my fucking name?!" Helga blinked. Her hand dropped his collar. "Get over your stupid pride Helga! You just told me that you liked me!" She actually told him that she loved him. But that part he wouldn't let himself believe just yet. "What more do you have left to say?! That I'm a football head? No wait, you've already said that! In fact you, won't let me forget it will you?! You've been calling me that ever since the day we met!" Helga didn't respond. She had never seen him so angry. His gentle voice had changed into a deep loud version she wasn't even aware existed. She didn't know what to do. Arnold noticed her usually big mouth was as silent as a mouse. Arnold felt big. And honestly, he liked it. So he continued. "That's right, you aren't the only one that can yell Helga! I'm so sick of you thinking you can just insult me when ever things don't go your way! I have feelings too! I've always had feelings! And you never even acknowledged them! Even when I asked you to that dance in 7th grade!" "w-what dance-" "I'm not finished Helga! That's another thing, you're always interrupting me! I can barely ever get a couple words out before you cut me off! You're selfish and rude and enjoy causing me pain!" "NO I DON'T!" Helga cried. Arnold stopped and stared at his tormentor who claimed to have never wanted to torment him. He simply didn't believe her. Arnold took a step closer. They were only a few inches apart. "Prove it." This was Helga's chance. She took a breath and looked up into his eyes. "Ok fine. I used to have a heart shaped locket." "...a locket?" "Yep. With your picture inside." She surprisingly told him this fact proudly. Determined to win this debate about how much she cared for him. Arnold did not know this new information. "I would pull it out, and scold my self every time I ever did something awful to you." She admitted. "Every time I spilled tapioca on you, every spitball, every petty prank. Everything. I'd pull it out, and apologize to the face in my locket." Arnold kept a straight face. But couldn't hide his blush begin to form onto his cheeks. This time, Helga took a step closer. "I'd write you poems." "...poems?" "Books full of poems. All about...you." Their eyes were locked onto each other's. No one dared to look away. "No you didn't," Arnold whispered. Helga couldn't take it anymore. "Shut up, yes I did," She breathed. Her hand gripped his shirt once more as she pressed her lips against his. Helga was finally showing Arnold everything she kept inside. She couldn't hide it any longer. And neither could he. Their nerves had calmed down. And all that was left were their true selfs. Arnold broke the kiss. He only smiled when he noticed Helga smile first.


	7. does he still like me?

Call me by my name part 7 (Clau calcetin, no it's not over yet. I'm feelin... Maybe a couple more chapters? Let's just see what happens. I really appreciate y'all's reviews!)

It was Monday. Arnold couldn't finish his assignment. Because he hadn't even started it. It was a writing assignment. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to be writing about. Which was very abnormal for Arnold. He usually gave a lot of effort and focus into his schoolwork. But his mind was all over the place. It had been that way ever since Saturday morning, when he woke up to find himself lying on the floor of Gerald's room.

-Flashback-

"You look so cute when you make that face." Arnold could hear a woman's voice invade his snoozing ears. His eyes fluttered open. And... he immediately felt weird. He wasn't sure why, but something just didn't feel right. "Shhh he's awake," he could hear gerald whisper. Arnold sat up and looked towards the bed. His eyes widened when he noticed a rather familiar and usually 'timid' female basically straddling his best friend. "Morning, Arnold," Gerald sheepishly greeted removing his hands from Pheobe's waist. Arnold just sat there. He knew they were into each other, but didn't realize they were THAT into each other. "Good morning, Arnold," Phoebe nervously smiled as she slowly untangled her legs from Gerald's lap. "Uh, morning... guys," Arnold awkwardly answered. A sudden loud thump could be heard from outside of the bedroom door. Everybody turned towards the noise. Gerald widened his eyes. "What was that?" Unfazed, Pheobe yawned and hopped off the bed. "It's probably just Helga, I'll go check on her," She explained as she made her way out of his room. Arnold felt his stomach tighten when he heard Helga's name. Pieces of last night started to pop back into Arnold's faded memory.

~ 'You're gonna walk around alone?' 'This is a dream.' 'It's pretty obvious why I'm so mean to you.' 'There was weed in the brownies man! Marijuana dude!' 'Helga, wait!'~

Outside of Arnold's head, Gerald was rolling his eyes. "She better not have broken anything! Just cause my parents are out of town doesn't mean we can just start breaking stuff!" He yelled from his bed.

~'you're making me say things I don't mean!' 'you aren't the only one that can yell!' 'Books full of poems.' 'No you didn't.' 'Shut up, yes I did.' That last sentence hit him hard. Because it was what lead to... the kiss. ~

Arnold felt paralyzed. But Gerald was still irritated. "Seriously, I graciously let the devil herself into my home and she's already trying to get me into trouble. Can you believe her Arnold?" Arnold just stared at the floor. "K-kiss?" He whispered. Which got Gerald to raise his eyebrow pretty quickly. "What?" Arnold realized what had just slipped out of his mouth and looked up. "Uh...nothing." "...mkay. So how was your first night stoned?" Gerald grinned. "It was... strange." "You're lucky I found you after you rudely hung up on me. But I gotta ask... why was Helga with you?" Gerald questioned. There it was again. Her name. Making his stomach turn. They kissed. Arnold Immediately stood up. "I gotta go!" And with that, he swung the door open and bolted out of there. Leaving a very puzzled Gerald.

-End of flash back-

And there he was, in his first period with Helga sitting right behind him. She had told him that she... lov-liked him. Helga G. Pataki. It was mind boggling for him. He had never experienced anything like the way he experienced that night. He finally told her off about being treated like a doormat. And yet, instead of pounding him, she kissed him. And he kissed back. He didn't know what that meant though. Part of him feared she would go back to doing what she did best. Which was picking on Him. But after 20 minutes of anxiously waiting, Arnold's hair was still free of spitballs. Which was a good sign... right? He couldn't take it anymore. He had to take a quick glance. He slowly rested his elbow on his chair and looked up at Helga. At first Helga hadn't noticed him, but she saw a shadow and followed it. Once she saw his face staring at her, She almost gasped. She didn't really know what to do. Wether to ...scowl. After Friday night, she didn't really know how she was planning on talking to him. She even gave her bathroom mirror a re-enactment of all the different ways she could approach him. Some were rude. But most were not so bad. When she woke up from the party, she was reminded that she crashed at Gerald's stupid house.

-Flash back-

Helga opened her eyes. She was on a couch. It was stiff. And covered in leather with rips, causing it to be itchy. And it was freezing, due to the lack of blanket. She didn't like it. 'Of course, he had to make me sleep on the most uncomfortable couch known to man' She stretched her arms as she brought herself up. Immediately, Helga didn't have any trouble remembering every single detail of last night. It's Arnold for crying out loud, how could the girl ever forget a night spent with only him? She had told Arnold... how she truly felt about him. By accident. Regardless, she did. But only after he told her... that he once had a crush on her? When did that occur? How could she not have noticed? 'Does he still like me? Is it not too late? Of course it's not he kissed me! Or... I kissed him. But he kissed back. Right? We were high. It wasn't real. As if he felt anything! Come on he even yelled at me... and I let him. I let Arnold stand up to me. I didn't even know he could act like that. I can't believe I let my guard down. I need to show that football head who's boss!' She inwardly growled. But then blinked. 'No, no, no! I'm not going to pretend this didn't happen! And I'm certainly not going to scare him away. Because he's right. I am selfish and rude.' She stood up from the deathbed of a couch and headed for Gerald's room. She wanted to talk to phoebe about this. She needed someone to help her through this. She had to-"Uh, morning... guys." Helga paused. That was Arnold's voice. Arnold is in there?! She quickly backed away and in the process, knocked over a lamp. 'Shit.' The door opened. Helga's heart began to race. "Helga, are you ok?" Phoebe yawned. Helga felt a little relieved that it was only Pheebs who came out. "Why would someone keep this stupid lamp in the middle of a hall way?" Helga quietly complained. "I don't know maybe-" Helga covered the girls mouth. "Shhh Phoebe, forget the lamp! I need talk to you!" Phoebe removed Helga's hand away from her face. "But you just said-" "She better not have broken anything! Just cause my parents are out of town doesn't mean we can just start breaking stuff!" They heard Gerald yell from his room. Helga's eyes narrowed. She bent over and picked the lamp back up. The light bulb wasn't broken, but Gerald's face would be if he kept talking about her as if she was a 2 year old in front of Arnold. But that wasn't important at the moment. She couldn't let Arnold see her right now! She wasn't ready! She might slip up and scream in his face! "Pheebs, please call me later I really need to talk to you." "Ok, but why not-" "Ok gotta go, bye!" She whispered as she fumbled out of the house. Leaving a perplexed phoebe.

-End of flashback-

And so when she found Arnold staring at her, she knew she had to make a choice. Smile, or scowl. She found herself doing neither. Her face was neutral. Her eyes retreated back to her paper. She just continued to write. She didn't know what else to do! 'Just, ignore him.' She told herself. Arnold blinked. And eventually turned himself back around. He was more than confused. Was she mad at him or not? He looked down at his paper. Which was still blank. He needed to start writing. But as soon as he gripped his pencil, The teacher started to speak. "Alright, every one seems to be done," Obviously not noticing his paper, "So I'll assign partners of two and you guys take turns reading them to each other." 'Please don't assign us together.' Arnold inwardly pleaded. 'You better not stick me with him lady.' Helga also inwardly threatened.

...They were assigned together. Helga had somehow managed to move her desk to the other side of his with out making eye contact. Arnold knew this because he wouldn't stop giving her eye contact. The room was loud. All of the students were talking. All except the two blondes. But there minds were running wild. 'She kissed me.' 'I kissed him.' It was really killing Arnold. But Helga was already dead. She picked a spot on the floor and wouldn't dare to look away. Arnold knew she was going to make him speak first. So he did. "I'm gonna be honest," he started. Helga finally looked at him. 'Honest?' "I didn't really write anything," Arnold admitted. Helga just stared. 'That's what he's going to be honest about?! He couldn't think of anything else? Anyone else!' She felt her eyebrows furrow. She opened her mouth. Ready to put him in his place... but she couldn't. She was the one who had been ignoring him and the whole situation. She'd be a hypocrite. How could she get mad at him for doing exactly what she was doing? "Ok. Then I'll read mine." She lifted her paper up, and remembered that all she wrote were... poems about Arnold. "Just kidding. I didn't write anything either," She said, placing it face down on the desk. Arnold noticed ink bleeding through the back. Because Helga likes to use pen. "Well, you... wrote something," he said, curious as to what she wrote. 'There is no way I'm telling you what I wrote.' She scowled in her mind. She wanted to growl at him so he'd leave the subject alone. But she just wouldn't let herself be mean to Arnold anymore. So she just agreed. "Yep. I did." Arnold knew he shouldn't be poking the lion, but he needed something to say other than 'you look really cute right now.' Because that was what he was thinking. But he immediately pretended he hadn't thought that. "...what did you write then?" Helga sighed. 'Can he not see that I don't want to tell him?!' "Ok, we are going to ask questions? Alright, why didn't YOU write something? Let's talk about that." 'Oh god.' She was trying holding her attitude back. She really was. Now it was Arnold's turn to get nervous. "Uhh, because... I-I uh-" "Not so easy is it? Foot-" She caught herself from calling him football head, and immediately looked away. Arnold blinked. But then smiled. 'She's trying.' A warm feeling hit his chest. 'Which means... she cares.' The thought of her being cute popped up again. But this time, he didn't deny it. She was adorable. "Helga." She didn't look at him this time. Her eyes were locked on an empty seat in front of her. Her hand gripped the side of her chair. She was not going to yell. She promised herself she wouldn't. But she really wanted to break her promise. A full on war was happening in her head. 'Why would he like you, Helga you suck! Just call him football head! It's not hard, you've been doing since forever. It is hard though! What he said really got to me. I don't want him to hate me. Well he already does! I don't know that!' Arnold noticed how tense she had became. Her face was turning red. "Helga?" She still didn't respond. "Are you ok?" RINGGGGGGG. The bell had rung. Helga grabbed her backpack, stood up, looked into his eyes, and simply said, "No." before she walked out the classroom door. Arnold stared at the door. Knowing she wasn't come back, but still hoping that she would. After a few seconds, he sighed and grabbed his bag. He was about to turn and leave, when his eyes caught sight of something. It was the paper.


	8. you got me wrapped around your finger

Call me by my name part 8

Arnold rushed through the crowded halls. Maybe if he gave Helga her writing back, she'd actually want to talk to him. He needed to understand what was going on with him and her. He could almost spot her blonde pony tail. It kept coming in and out of view. 'Man is she fast.' He took the risk to yell out for her. "Hel-woah!" But Rhonda had stopped him. "Arnold! Just the guy I wanted to talk to!" "Uh, sorry Rhonda, I'm kinda in the middle of-" "But it's an emergency!" She stressed. The boy took one more glance at the now disappearing pony tail. He sighed. "Ok, Fine." Rhonda pulled him over to her locker. "Ok, so... how do you get someone's attention?" She blurted out desperately. Arnold gave her a dull look. "Trust me, everyone knows who you are." "Please, I was crowned homecoming queen for a reason Arnold. I'm not worried about THAT! I can't get Nadine to talk to me!" "Oh. That is weird. Y'all are usually like, inseparable." "This morning she didn't answer any of my texts, and every time I try talking to her she just walks away barely saying a word!" Arnold blinked. Sounded a lot like the situation he was in. Rhonda noticed Nadine making her way through the halls. "Quick, pretend like you love talking to me!" Arnold raised his eyebrow. "What?" As Nadine passed them, Rhonda playfully pushed Arnold's shoulder. "HAHAhaha oh Arnold! You are so funny!" "Uh heh heh... yeah.." Arnold tried to play along but It was just all to quick for him. Besides, he had someone else on his mind. And no matter how hard he tried to get her out of his head, it was just no use. She was even stubborn in his imagination. Rhonda's eyes narrowed. "Ugh, see? She didn't even turn her head! I know she heard me! What do I need to do to get her to speak to me?" Rhonda pouted. Arnold heard the 'you're almost late' bell ring. "Listen, I need to get to class and so do you... but all you can really do is.." He looked at the paper clutched in his hands. "Return what was lost, and tell her... the truth." Rhonda seemed a little confused. "But she didn't lose any-" "Sorry gotta go!" Arnold maneuvered away from Rhonda. Rhonda sighed. That night was crazy for her.

-flashback-  
She practically stayed on her balcony the whole night. With Nadine. Playing I spy. It was Rhonda's turn in the game. "I spy something..." she looked at the tree in front of her. "leafy." Nadine chuckled. "Uh, the tree?" "Yep," Rhonda sighed. Nadine could tell Rhonda wasn't happy. But she went along with the game hoping somehow she could cheer her up. "I spy...something that's-" "he's not coming, is he?" Nadine frowned. So much for trying to cheer her up. "I'm sorry, Rhonda. You don't deserve someone who leaves you hanging. You're... too good for him." Rhonda let out an even bigger sigh. "You don't get get it. This was my last chance." Through Nadine's eyes, Rhonda looked like a lost puppy. All of a sudden, a song from inside the house hit Nadine's ears. Linger. It was a really good song. It was their song. "Rhonda." She pointed up. "Listen." It brought so much joy into Nadine's eyes to see her friend's depressed face morph into an exited one. Before Nadine knew what she was doing, her hand fell on Rhonda's. Rhonda blinked. For the first time, Rhonda saw Nadine in...a different light. "Let's dance," Nadine softly suggested. Before Rhonda could answer, both of her hands were pulled away from the railing. Nadine started dancing with Rhonda's arms. She was just going for it. Her eyes were closed. She didn't care. She wanted Rhonda to have a good time. Rhonda realized what she was doing and smiled. She slowly began to dance along with her. But Nadine took the lead as soon as she heard the chorus.

But I'm in so deepppp.

Nadine started to jump around like know one else was watching. Causing Rhonda to snicker and eventually join her.

You know I'm such a fool for youuuu.  
You got me wrapped around your finger.  
Do you have to let it linger?  
Do you have to-  
Do you have to-  
Do you have to let it linger?

Her whole life, Nadine felt wrapped around Rhonda's finger. Little did she know that tonight she had Rhonda wrapped around her own.

They danced for the rest of the song and finished by laughing and falling into a hug. Rhonda shifted to look at her. Her smile seemed to not want to go away. Neither did Nadine's. Now was the time. Nadine had to tell Rhonda how she felt. She just had to. "I know I might regret saying what I'm about to say, but... your just so beautiful." Rhonda felt a blush creep into her cheeks. "Oh. Thank you. Why would you regret saying that?" She giggled. Nadine's face was still warm, but it was also serious. "Because... I... I like you." Rhonda blinked. "W-what do you mean?" The both retreated their arms. Nadine all of a sudden felt cold. She looked away. "Uhh, nothing." She whispered, folding her arms. Rhonda just stared. Nadine hesitatingly made her way up to her eyes again. "I'm sorry." She whispered. Though it was Rhonda who felt extremely embarrassed. This was a strange feeling for her. She had never felt this way with any of her boyfriends. But instead of accepting that this felt better or even right, she switched it around. This was wrong. They were both girls. What would everyone think at school? What would her parents think? She felt annoyance rise in her body. "I don't like girls Nadine! I-I don't like girls. I CAN'T like girls... this is- why did you stay out here the whole night with me if you knew I was waiting for a guy?!" Nadine felt her heart sink. "Well, I-" "Nadine, what made you think I was-" "I wasn't planning on telling you! It just happened! I'm sorry, okay! I was fine with you being with him, but when he didn't show up I just... realized I couldn't hide it anymore." "But I don't like you." Rhonda insisted. Nadine frowned. Once again, Rhonda was not understanding. "That's not the point. I get that you don't like me, I accept that. I just needed you to know regardless." A tear rolled down her cheek. "You didn't have to yell at me though." Rhonda saw the affects her words had on Nadine. She immediately regretted freaking out. But before she could apologize, Nadine ran back inside. The day after, Rhonda wouldn't stop calling Nadine. And she'd decline every single one. -end of flashback-

Rhonda's eyes met the back of Nadines head making her way into the girls bathroom. She felt her feet stomp quickly towards the bathroom. She was determined to get her attention. She kicked the door open and looked around. She peeked at the cracks and found Nadine shoes. The nervous girl turned to the sinks and took a breath. 'Ok, Arnold says to return what was lost and tell her the truth. What the hell does that even mean?' She stared at Nadine's stall through the mirror. She could feel her whole body shake. This had to work. 'Maybe our friendship is what is lost. The fact that I took her for granted? And because of that, I'm creepily standing in this bathroom waiting for her to finish peeing like a freak just to talk to her.' Her thoughts paused when she heard a flush. Nadine exited her stall and stopped in her tracks as soon as she saw Rhonda. But she some how got her feet to work again and made her way to the sinks. Rhonda glanced over. "Oh! I didn't see you there Nadine," She smiled. Nadine didn't answer as she turned the sink on. 'Dammit, Return the friendship Rhonda!' The girl inwardly growled. "I was just thinking about that blue butterfly we saw at my party. What did we name it again? Hope?" Nadine didn't look up. But she couldn't hold her tongue any longer. "I thought you didn't like bugs." She answered with a monotone. Rhonda nervously giggled. "Don't you mean insects?" Nadine pretended she didn't hear Rhonda, but was secretly surprised. 'Guess she listens to me after all.' Rhonda watched Nadine as she finished washing her hands and reached for the paper towel dispenser. But it was on Rhonda's side. And... Rhonda didn't seem to move. Nadine stared at her. "Do you mind?" Rhonda frowned. "I need to tell you the uh... truth." For some reason, Nadine really wanted to hear what ever the 'truth' was. "...ok. What is it?" Her voice came out softer than she anticipated it to be. To be honest, Rhonda didn't really know what the truth was. Until It spilled out. "Well, the truth is... that I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I didn't appreciate the person that was in front of me this whole time. I'm sorry that I yelled at you. I just freaked out. I was confused. But you made me realize why I hated being with boys." Nadine blushed. "Why do you hate-mmm" Rhonda's lips kissed hers. And for once, kissing felt right. That was the conformation she needed. Rhonda pulled away and looked into Nadine's eyes. "Because I'd rather be with you." The girls stared at each other, both unable to to conceal their smiles. Thanks to Arnold's unintended love advice, Rhonda finally understood herself and the way she felt about Nadine. A huge weight had been lifted off of her.

As for Arnold, the weight just seemed to keep piling on. He was in gym. Doing sit-ups. With Gerald. Gerald stood on Arnold's feet with his arms folded. "That's it. What is wrong with you?" Arnold had been breathing a little to much. And he had only done 3 sit ups. He laid back on the ground. "What you mean? I'm fine," he breathed. Gerald rolled his eyes. "Well, you don't sound fine." Arnold just closed his eyes. Trying to soak up what little energy he had left. When did life become so complicated? Gerald still wasn't getting the answer he was searching for. "Dude. You've been acting weird for a while now. If something is bothering you, you know you can tell me." Arnold opened his eyes. "You really wanna know?" "Yes!" Arnold shook his head. "Trust, me you don't." "Ughhh. Stop teasing me, and tell me already!" Gerald groaned. Arnold sat up. "Even if I was going to tell you, I'm not doing it in here." "Fine let's leave." Arnold blinked. "Wha- but we're not allowed to-" "We'll just say that we're getting water. Come on get up." He said, helping Arnold up.

When Arnold and Gerald reached the water fountain, Gerald to a breath. "Okay, so I know I haven't been the best friend lately, but I swear am 100% ready for anything you- what are you doing?" Arnold lifted his head up from the water fountain that was now on. "Getting water," he answered, wiping his mouth. "We aren't here for water Arnold. We are here to figure out what is bothering you, so I can can feel like a supporting friend," Gerald explained. It was true. He let his buddy down by ditching him, causing Arnold to unknowingly eat pot brownies and end up all the way at Slausens. He had to make it up to him. And becoming a good listener was a start. The only problem was, he wasn't very good at it yet. "So go ahead. I'm all ears." Arnold looked down. And took a few seconds to himself. Eventually, he sighed. "It's about Helga." He whispered. "Oh great! What did she do this time?" Gerald growled. "Nothing. It's hard to explain." "Did she embarrass you again or something?" "No, she-" "Someone needs to teach her a lesson becau-" "No. look, I saw a part of her that I never realized she had and-" "You mean she got even more angry? Is that even possible? Don't take it personally Arnold, nothing can change that witch of a person." Arnold's eyes narrowed. "She's not a witch." "And why are you defending her?" "BECAUSE I LIKE HER GERALD!" And just like that, Gerald became a statue. "You...I'm sorry I'm must have heard you wrong. You like who now?" "...Helga." "...Helga?" "Yes." "Uh, no you don't," he chuckled. "But I do." They both stared at each other. "We are talking about the same Helga, right?" Gerald questioned. Arnold groaned as he covered his face with his hands. "I knew you wouldn't get it." "Bro. This is the same girl who poured her snow cone down the back of your shirt because you complained about being too hot on snow cone day." Arnold folded his arms. "I know." "Now every year, on snow cone day, she finds you just to-" "I know." "Just to what?" "I already know!" "FINISH THE SENTENCE! SHE FINDS YOU JUST SO SHE CAN DO WHAT ARNOLD?!" "SO SHE CAN POUR IT DOWN MY BACK! I KNOW GERALD!" "...And yet you supposedly 'like' her." "You don't get it! Trust me, I know it sounds crazy! I've been freaking out for the last few days! God, I need more water!" Arnold pushed the button back on and leaned to take another sip. Gerald immediately jammed his finger into the nozzle. Causing a water to splatter all over Arnold's face. "Hey! What's wrong with you?!" "What's wrong with me? What's wrong with her?! That. Right there. That's what she used to do in 4th grade. Don't tell me you don't remember." Arnold aggressively wiped his face. "Of course I remember, that's why I'm freaking out Gerald! You promised you'd be a 'good friend', But all you are doing is spraying water at me!" Gerald blinked. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'll help you buddy, come on." He grabbed Arnold's arm. "Where are we going now?" "We're ditching. School is the last place to need to be right now. I'll buy you a burger and we will figure this thing out together. I promise. You can count on me."


	9. I'm sorry that I'm in love with you

Call me by my name part 9 (Okayyy this is the finale baby. This is a messy series, and there are definitely some things that I would change but Imma let it slide as a learning experience as this is my first fanfic. Thank you for reading!)

Helga liked art. Just not at that moment. Because when you base your whole technique on this sense of calmness, and the only muse in existence that can give you that feeling is a guy... everything gets fucked up. Especially when that guy has every right to hate you. But he chooses not to. Because that's just who he is. That's why he's your muse. Helga's pencil kept breaking, she couldn't seem to put the eraser down, and her hand was full of cramps. Helga couldn't stop thinking about Arnold. For once, it was not in a good way. His words rang in her ears. 'I'm so sick of you thinking you can just insult me when ever things don't go your way!' The sad thing was that everything he said was true. She drove him crazy. For no reason, other than the obvious. She... forgot that he was a person too. With his own problems. And she would pile even more problems on him when she knew he didn't deserve it. Helga felt like crying. Again. It was strange. She wouldn't ever dare to cry as much as she had been lately. Especially in front of Arnold of all people. But she did. That was the least of her worries though. She kissed him for crying out loud. And she was starting to question wether or not if he actually did kiss back. Helga knew that if she wanted to even have a chance with Arnold, she would need to be willing to show that side of her again. And with all of her insecurities back in her mindset, it wasn't going to be easy. But she couldn't avoid him forever.

Just like how Arnold couldn't avoid having this suffocating talk with Gerald. They sat on the curb of a burger joint slowly eating. Gerald took glance at Arnold. He seemed really lost. "So uh... is there a reason you wanna sit on the ground outside of the restaurant? Y'know, instead of inside?" He warily asked, not wanting to upset his friend. Arnold's eyes were fixed on the ground. "I dunno. The ground seems more comfortable ever since..." his cheeks bloomed into red roses. "Ever since what?" Gerald questioned. Arnold looked up at him. "I know she seems bad, but... I can't get over that night. What she said." "What did she say?" At this point, Gerald was intrigued. Arnold felt even more heat swell up. "Well, we both... confessed that we l-liked each other. Sorta. We didn't know we were real." "...you didn't know that you were real?" "I thought it was a dream. She was so sweet which was unfamiliar, so it just made sense at the time. So I thought it was safe to tell her that I used to have a crush on her." Gerald's eyes widened. "Used to? I thought this freaky thing was new." "I was too embarrassed to admit it, but yeah I tried asking her to that dance and she said no. Don't you remember? Wait a second, yeah, you knew that I liked her." Gerald's face turned to stone. "Excuse me?" "You gave her my note." "But, you wanted to ask out Lila." Arnold blinked. "No I didn't." Gerald took a moment to understand what Arnold was saying. Until it finally clicked. 'Ohhh fuck.' "Uhh... hey, you want the rest of my soda?" He nervously raised his cup to Arnold's hand. "Gerald." "You can have my fries too." "Did Helga get the letter, Gerald?" "...Y'know what, you can just have it all." He said sliding all of his food into Arnold's arms. "GERALD?!" "I'm sorry, I gave it to Lila!" He yelled, hiding his scrunched up face. He buried his face into his hands. "To be fair, you did used to have a crush on Lila in elementary school." He mumbled through his fingers. Arnold couldn't comprehend that his failed attempt to ask Helga out had been so embarrassing and she apparently didn't even know about it. At first, he was angry at Gerald. But after a few a few seconds he sighs. "Well, at least I know that she never actually rejected me." Gerald looked up from his hands. "Do you think she would have said yes?" Arnold looked at him, then back to the floor. "I... don't know. I still can't believe she likes me now. How I am supposed to know how long she's liked me? Probably not that long. She wasn't exactly the nicest that day. She seemed angry. I thought It was because I asked her out but... now that I know that she didn't get the note... why was she mad?" Gerald rolled his eyes. "Come on, its Helga. When is she not mad?" "I remember we were talking about... going to the dance. But she was actually talking about me and Lila going to the dance. And..." Arnold felt the corners of his lips lift. "She didn't like the fact that I asked Lila out. She got up in my face. She used a really condescending tone. She even messed with my folder, but it doesn't matter!" Arnold shouted as if he had made a discovery. But Gerald just looked confused. "It doesn't?" Arnold dropped his food and shook Gerald's arms. "She was jealous!" He couldn't contain his grin. Gerald frowned at the wasted burger and fries. "I paid for those." He whined. "Gerald she liked me in 7th grade! I can't believe I... wait. Has she always liked me?" "She what now?" "On the night of Rhonda's party. She told me... that she would scold herself every time she ever made fun of me. That means even when we were kids. Wow. She's a good actor." He nervously chuckled. "She... really had me fooled." "Hold up." Arnold looked up to hear what Gerald had to say. "You are a 100% sure... that she didn't make that up right?" "I..." Arnold remembered the kiss she gave him. "I'm sure." he smiled. Gerald just made a face. The famous 'I'm not buying it' face. "Just hear me out, you guys were... high. Not in the right state of mind. What if she's different then how you remember?" Arnold considered this. "Well, today was really awkward." "Awkward how?" "She didn't really seem to want to talk to me." "What if she's embarrassed?" "You think she regrets that kiss?" Gerald blinked. "S-She kissed you?!" His friends frantic behavior was starting to have an affect on Arnold. "Yeah! Do you think she's ashamed of kissing me?!" Gerald realized that all he was doing was lowering Arnold's self esteem. "No, I'm just thinking it through! I wanna protect you... But you are a great guy. Why wouldn't a girl like you?" Arnold closed his eyes when he felt his friend pat his back. "Yknow, what? Maybe I'm wrong. Yeah... I changed my mind. I agree. That girl has always been nuts," Gerald said causing Arnold to sigh. "But maybe she's just nuts for you." He added. Arnold felt a blush appear on his cheeks. "Are there any definite signs?" Gerald asked. "Uh... I think she said that she wrote me poems or something?" Gerald's comforting face morphed into an amused one. He tried to hold back his laughter, but it found it's way out. "Poems? Haha, your saying that in science, the notebook she can't take her eyes off is full of poems of you?" Arnold blinked. "What do you mean?" "Yeah, that girl is like insane about writing, and I know she hates school. There is no way she's just taking notes." Arnold stopped. 'Wait... did she...' Arnold swung his backpack to his lap. The boy unzipped the front pocket within less than .2 seconds. He jammed his hand inside. Rummaging until his fingers found its treasure. "What are you doing?" He heard Gerald ask. Arnold ripped the folded up evidence out of the bag and into the air. "Helga's writing. This is her writing!" Gerald gasped. "Read it, man!" "...I can't. It's wrong. I can't just read this without her permission." He sighed. Gerald looked at him like he was crazy. But Arnold was serious. "I don't even know if it's a poem, Gerald." "Uh yeah, that's the point. You gotta read it to find out." Arnold stared at the taunting Piece of paper. He closed his eyes. "I just... can't. I know she wouldn't want me to. I'm just going to return it, and confront her." "No! Where's the fun it that?" Gerald whined.

It's the bell had rung. It was the end of the school day. Arnold stood outside the main doors waiting for Helga to make her way out. His legs felt shaky. He wasn't exactly sure what he was going to say but he knew he had to say what ever 'that' was. Teen burst through the doors. 'Okay. Just return the-' his thoughts stopped. His eyes perked up once he spotted the blonde ponytail. Her head was down. He made his way up to her. "Uh... hey Helga." Helga stopped in her tracks and looked up. Her face flushed red at the sight of him. She didn't hide how startled she was. Because it was better to look flustered rather than angry. "Hi," Was all she could manage. 'This is it Helga. Stay strong.' Arnold gave her a soft smile. "I think we need to talk." "Yeah," Helga answered back immediately. So Arnold began. "Well, first I just wanna say-" Helga's eyes widened as she placed her hand on his arm. "Maybe, not in front of everyone though, okay?" Arnold was surprised by the way she kindly handled his stupidity. "Oh, right. Sorry umm," he glanced around and found a deserted bench. "You wanna talk over there?" He pointed. "Sure." So they walked over to an empty area with a bench waiting for them. Helga sat on the edge. Far away from Arnold. She's always felt far away from him. Because if she or he got too close, she knew she wouldn't be able to control herself. Just like at Rhonda's party. Helga folded her arms and gazed at her fingers. Arnold just held his hands together. He knew he had to be cautious when he talked to Helga. Assuming, he'd be the one to start the conversation, he opened his mouth. But he stopped once he heard Helga speak. "I can't believe I didn't know it was a pot brownie." She admitted. "Do you actually think I'd be a good therapist?" He heard himself say. She looked in his direction. "What?" "Well, back when we were... high, I said that every one expects me to be their therapist. And you... you told me that I'd be a great therapist. But I just- I wasn't sure... if you meant it." It took a second for Helga to respond. "...Yeah I meant it." She timidly confirmed. A nice feeling surrounded Arnold when he heard Helga agree. "Oh. Well thank you." Helga didn't respond. Her entire body was shaking. She needed to control her self. She needed to defeat the enemy within her. So Arnold decided to continue. "I know it's weird that I brought it up. I just... I don't know. I appreciate it. Coming from you." Helga felt her defenses rise. Almost about to shoot an insult, she bit her tongue. Literally. It was the only way. But her silence was sending mixed messages to Arnold. Unsure of what she would say next he decided to give it his all. "I'm just going to be honest, I don't want to pretend that it didn't happen. But... if you do then okay." His words hit Helga like a wave of light. It was exactly what she needed to hear. Suddenly she had forgotten about her self to self battle. "...Really?" Her voice was laced with hope. "Really." Helga felt herself smile. Until she heard Harold. "There he is! Hey, Arnold!" Harold yelled obnoxiously while leading a group of guys over to the bench. "Where'd you go? You weren't in 8th period." Arnold put his hand up. "Uh, Harold I can't talk right now-" "-Yeah Harold butt out," Helga warned. But once Harold noticed Helga, he smirked. "Oh no I've awakened the big bad Helga monster!" He teased. Helga narrowed her eyes. Harold continued. Before anyone could defend them selfs, Gerald steps in between everyone. "Alright cool it Harold, Arnold has some serious business to attend to right now," he says pushing the taunting oaf away. But as he turns back he shoots his fingers guns and winks. "Don't worry, I gotchu. You can continue with your poem talk." Helga blinks. "What?" She snapped her head back to Arnold who looked like a deer in head lights. "You told him?!" "Helga, let's just go somewhere else-" "Why would you tell him what happened?!" She growled. Gerald's finger guns dropped. "Oops." He walked back over to the teens. "Uh no, he didn't tell me anything! He didn't even read what you wrote in class!" "Gerald!" Arnold scorned. He quickly fished the writing from his pocket, and looked up at Helga who didn't look very happy. "I-I was going to return it to you, I promise I didn't-" "Gimme that!" Helga snatched the piece paper away from Arnold. Her heart was beating. Her face was red. This was not good. "I can't believe you read that!" She spoke feeling deceived. Arnold put up his hands in defense. "I swear I didn't read your poem Helga!" At this point they had attracted a crowd. Helga's eyes widened. "This escalated quickly," Gerald whispered. "HELGA WROTE A POEM!" Harold hollered for the whole school to hear. "It's NOT a poem! It's... not even mine!" She slammed the poem into Arnold's chest. "I bet it's a loveee poem!" Harold yells. "How much you wanna bet it's about Arnold?" Sid chimes in. Causing a couple other guys to laugh. "It's not about Arnold!" Helga defends. But the damage had been done. "Then why are y'all sitting together? I thought y'all were like archenemies." Sid observed. Arnold calmly spoke up, "Guys, calm down. We are just friends-" "We aren't even friends! The football head just decided to sit next to me. I was just about to make him leave," Helga interrupts. Causing Arnold to blink. And eventually fold his arms. "Oh, you were?" He asked with offense Taken. He knew that Helga had trouble with sharing her feelings, but she couldn't at least call them friends? It seemed completely unnecessary to act as if he was a nuisance. "Yes as a matter of fact, I was. Because You're too 'intrusive'," She growled. To be honest, Arnold had enough of this. Everything was always his fault. He couldn't do anything right. And this girl still couldn't admit how she felt about him. "Really?" He asked. Helga got up in his face, staring daggers into his eyes. "Really." Arnold narrowed his eyes. "Okay. For the record, as tempted as I was, I didn't read the poem. But since you don't believe me anyway, and you apparently still hate my guts, I guess you wouldn't mind if I did read it." Helga blinked. "Give it back!" She tried reaching for it but Arnold lifted it into the air. "Why? It's not like you wrote it or anything." Gerald smiled and cupped his hands to his mouth. "Woo hoo! Go Arnold! Stick'n up for yourself!" Gerald yelled. "I'm serious, football head!" "I'm serious too! And I'm not responding to that name anymore!" He lunged up and ran away. Helga swung up to follow him but was blocked by Gerald. "Nu uh. Nope. You are not passing me. I don't know what he sees in you, but if you even have the smallest bit of care for him you will leave him alone." Gerald looked around at the crowd of teens. "Alright shows over! Nothing to see here!" Most kids became disinterested and went back to their own conversations while a few others stayed. Gerald turned back to in his view, 'the devil'. "You know you just hurt him, Helga." "He hurt me! He read my personal poem!" Helga retorted. Before Gerald could respond, Pheobe stepped in. "No offense Helga, but if Arnold says he didn't didn't do something he's probably telling the truth. He's just not the type of person to lie." She had a point. "Yeah, and I thought it wasn't YOUR poem either." Gerald added. Helga folded her arms and looked away. She knew she was wrong. She knew she had messed up. And she was ready to own it. Helga took a deep breath and looked back up at Gerald. "Fine. It's my poem. To be fair, I didn't want the whole school knowing my PRIVATE Feelings. But I made a scene and... in the process I hurt him. Which was exactly what I've been trying to prevent. I need to apologize." Gerald wasn't actually expecting Helga to take responsibility for her actions the way she did. Maybe there was more to her. "Okay... good. Well... glad you learned your lesson." "Helga!" Rhonda called. She looked like a completely different person. More happy. More free. She ran up to them and put her hand on Helga's shoulder. "Why are you touching me." "Helga listen. I heard the whole poem fiasco, and I just wanna tell you that people matter more than reputations. I know that now. And you should too. I know we have had our differences and you kinda dress like a hobo-" "-watch it." "BUT you need to do these two things for me. Return what was lost, and tell him the truth. Arnold helped me with my relationship and now I'm returning the favor. I mean just look at her," she pointed over to Nadine waiting in the parking lot near her car. Helga was sorta confused. "Wait, what do you mean?" Rhonda looked back and giggled. "Oh. I'm gay. Haha. It feels so good to say that. But I just don't care any more. The only thing that matters is the way I feel." Gerald and Helga both stood in shock, while phoebe just giggled. "Rhonda hurry up!" Nadine called out. "Ok I gotta go, but please remember what I told you Helga! Come on Nadine! Let's catch some butterflies!" She screamed running to Nadine's car. Helga was surprised by Rhonda's speech. Because it was actually inspiring. She let out a small smile. "She's right." "Hold up, anyone else know she was gay?" Gerald asked in a high pitched voice. Helga turned to Gerald. "I'm in love with your best friend." "Ew, sick! Don't tell me that! What made you think I wanted to hear that?" Gerald cringed. Helga just laughed. 'Huh. Wasn't so bad.' She took a few steps towards Harold's friend group. "Hey Harold! I love the stupid football head, so suck my dick!" Helga's smile grew even larger. It surprisingly felt great to say. To not care. Despite the snickers of those boys, it was nothing compared to this feeling of freedom she had bestowed upon herself. She turned to phoebe. "I'm gonna go find him." Phoebe was really proud of her in this moment. She knew how long Helga had be holding those feelings in. "You got this Helga." She smiled.

Helga walked to Sunset Arms boarding house, hoping Arnold would be there. She stood at the welcome mat. Yet, didn't feel so welcome. She lifted her fist to knock on the door but she stopped. For some reason this was harder than she originally thought it would be. But she pushed through the fear and knocked. The door opened to Phil. "Hello there. Are you here for Arnold?" Helga suddenly found it hard to speak. "Uh... yes can I speak to him?" "Sorry girlie, he's not home yet." Helga frowned. "Oh ok. Thanks anyways" "Sure, I'll let him know you stopped by. Have a good night." "You too." As the door closed, Helga sighed. She began to walk home when she noticed a sound. It was... music. Jazz. And it was coming from the roof. She was compelled to follow the music up the fire escape. And as she reached the top, she saw the back of Arnold's head. He was just sitting there. Staring at the sky. Helga took a few steps towards him. He heard the footsteps and turned around. "Hey," she gently spoke. Arnold didn't answer. He just simply turned his head back to the sky. She noticed her poem sitting next to Arnold. "Well, now you know my delusional poet side." She tried to laugh it off. It didn't work.  
"...Did you think it was weird?" She asked, genuinely embarrassed. "I didn't read it Helga." Helga blinked. "What? Why?" Arnold sighed. "Because I'm not gonna do that to you. It's private." Helga didn't know what to say. Which is why she actually knew exactly what to say. "Why do you do that?" Arnold looked back. "Do what." Helga narrowed her eyes. "You said that you would read it. Why didn't you read it!" "Because you don't want me to." "Stop it!" "Stop what." "You know what you're doing! Stop being so sweet! Stop being thoughtful and caring and understanding for one fucking second!" She stomped over to him and pointed at her writing. "Read it!" "No!" "You wanted to read it and had the opportunity to read it but you chose not to for me! Don't do that!" "Why can't I do that?!" "Because I don't deserve it! I was mean! I AM mean! I'm not nice to you!" "I don't care." Helga sighed. "So what. You wanna pretend none of this ever happened?" "...I guess so," Arnold answered as he kept his eyes on the stars. He sounded like a robot. He felt like a robot. That was it. Helga felt tears form in her eyes. "Fine! Me too! Glad we're on the same page football head!" She started to walk off. When she stopped herself. This isn't what she wanted. She wanted to remember every single detail of what happened. Helga turned back around and stared at him. A lump in her throat started to form. What was she supposed to say?

"What do you want me to do Arnold?!" She shouted with her hands out.

Arnold blinked. Something clicked. Something happened. This feeling. It's like he could actually hear the real helga.

After getting no response, Helga decided that she was unwanted. She was about to grab the fire escape handle when her shoulders were grabbed.

Arnold swung helga around and kissed her. It was long. And full of passion. Helga almost passed out because of how unexpected it was.

Once Arnold released his lips, he looked into her eyes. "You called me by my name." He held her cheeks so gently. Helga felt herself blush. She quickly wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. He did the same. No one wanted to let go. "I thought I broke you," Helga breathed. "I thought you hated me." Helga let go. "I could never hate you." This time, it was Arnold who felt tears start to form. "Neither could I." Causing Helga to do the same. They simultaneously yanked each other's body's together into an even more intense hug. Quietly sobbing together.

10 minutes had passed. They laid on the ground of the roof. Entranced by the stars. "It's beautiful," Helga admired. Arnold glanced at her. "Yeah. Beautiful." He smiled. "Isn't it weird how we've known each other since preschool, and yet we don't actually know each other?"  
Helga turned over on her side so she could see him better. "I wanna know you, Helga." Arnold whispered. "I wanna know you, Arnold." She responded. Arnold chuckled. "Hey, you called me Arnold again." He grabbed Helga's hand causing her to blush. Helga used Rhonda's advice. She returned Arnold's name. And now it was time for the truth. "Well now that I know how much you like it, I'll never stop. Who knew calling someone by their first name would give me a kiss and a handhold?" Arnold squeezed her hand. "Who knew a kiss would get Helga to lower her voice," he joked. Helga's mouth quickly became agape as she unlocked her hand from his and pushed his body away from hers. "Ow, hey!" She heard Arnold yell. But Helga kept hitting him. "I'm serious that hurts, stop!" He shouted with a smile. Helga immediately stopped, unaware of her strength. "Oh my god, I'm sorry," she giggled as she held the spot she injured. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she repeated. Arnold looked up at her with a chuckle. "It's okay." "I'm sorry." Arnold raised his eyebrow. "...really I'm fine, it's okay Helga." "I'm sorry." Arnold couldn't see Helga's face. So he sat up. "Helga?" He grabbed her chin and turned her face towards him. Her face was so dead. "I'm sorry I hurt you." "Don't worry, I'm not bleeding or anything-" "No I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being to loud." Arnold blinked. "I was only joking Helga." "I'm sorry for tripping you. I'm sorry for grabbing you when I know you don't like it. I'm sorry for teasing you. I'm sorry for calling you football head. Arnold, I'm just sorry!" She clung to him. Arnold rubbed her back. "It's fine Helga. I'm fine. Your fine. We are fine. No more apologies." "I have one more." "No, helga." "I need to say this one." "No you don't. You don't need to." Helga looked up at him. "I'm sorry that I'm in love with you." Arnold stared at her. Until he eventually smiled. "I'm sorry that I love you too." Helga blinked. "You what?-mph" He kissed her again. It was softer and sweeter.

They spent the rest of the night star gazing, laughing, and sharing secrets. Finally getting the moments that had been long over due. (And that's the endddd. I hope you liked it. If not what eves. I'm glad I finished this. Now I understand what I wanna write next. And I have a feeling it's going to be so much better because it will have consistency and structureeee. But this was not so bad for a first try right?)


End file.
